Patrick Murray, who played Mickey Pearce in Only Fools and Horses, has revealed he has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
The 65-year-old actor announced his cancer diagnosis to fans on Twitter – explaining that a tumour was found in his lung which has now been removed.
The actor admitted that he has a “fighting chance” because he went in for an ultrascan.
Patrick had previously intended to keep his health problems “private”, but later felt that failing to speak out on the issue would be “selfish”.
Taking to Twitter, he wrote: “Naturally I wanted to keep my own health problems private, but failing to fully endorse this ad would be selfish.
“Thanks to my ultrascan I have a fighting chance.
“It showed my organs needed further investigation and tumours were spotted.
“This led to a PET scan which covers a much larger area.
“To my wonderful surprise these lesions were not cancerous but the scan did find an early-stage cancerous tumour in my lung. This has since been removed.”
He went on to thank the NHS for their help, and to urge others to get themselves checked out, as many people wrongly assume some of their cancer symptoms are due to other factors like age.
(Image: Collect Unknown)
He added: “I am tweeting now, which wouldn’t be the case if I hadn’t had the ultrasound all those months ago.
“A lot of people put these symptoms down to age and the discomfort to simply having a weak stomach.
“Please don’t ignore it if it persists.
“As for me, and thanks to the NHS, I can now see the same beautiful horizon as you.”
(Image: BBC)
Murray starred in Only Fools and Horses for 20 episodes – alongside show legends David Jason (who played Del Boy) and Nicholas Lyndhurst (Rodney Trotter).
After the show ended in 2003, Patrick went on to star in major productions, such as Curse Of The Pink Panther and The Firm.
However, Murray later retired from acting and became a taxi driver in Kent.
Sadly, he had to stop working due to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – which affects his ability to breathe.
(Image: Internet Uknown)
Patrick is married to his wife Anong – after tying the knot with her in Thailand back in 2016.
They share their five-year-old daughter Josie.
Unfortunately, the Home Office rejected his wife and daughter’s application to live in the UK in 2017.
Patrick was forced to communicate with his baby daughter via Skype for two years.
However, he later won the visa row – and he was reunited with his family in 2018.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
